I’ve seen a lot of things over the past few weeks that I’ve been meaning to write about, but haven’t got around to. So I want to launch my first-ever “Bang for your buck” round-up where I look at things that I’ve done and seen or things that I might want to purchase.
Without further ado:
- “Flight of the Conchords: Season 1” DVD – I didn’t quite know what to expect when I saw the first commercials for this HBO series, but the show about a lowly rated New Zeland folk band is pretty hilarious. The plots can be very straight-forward — most comedic band use the plot to string along a set of jokes or songs. The true genius is in the band’s songs and videos. The music ranges ballads to rock to pop electronica. It’s a brilliant deal for $20.
- “Jekyll” — Less impressive was the performance at the Blue Room Theatre last Friday night. The troupe there put on an amusing, if extremely short, take on the classic tale of “Jekyll and Hyde.” It had been a while since I had been to the theater so I enjoyed the live performance and the staging. The music number was fun and the live music was a cool touch.
The performances were pretty good with the actor playing Hyde doing a convincing job of displaying the wild nature of this classic alter ego. The play did a decent job of showcasing Hyde’s orgy of violence. However, I feel the play could’ve done more to offer a newer take on the classic struggle between a man’s civilization and his wild side. It’s OK at $10 and 45 minutes, but the play would be pushing it if lasted longer or cost more.
- “Dan in Real Life” – The new romantic comedy starring Steve Carell was a pleasant way to spend an evening, but I don’t know if I would pay the full evening ticket price. Carell plays a widower who happens to write an advice column on parenting. He sometimes has a hard time living up to his advice as he meets a beautiful woman during a family reunion weekend. The catch is that the woman is the currently attached to Carell’s brother, played by Dane Cook. I thought the story held together all right, but it didn’t launch itself into greatness. If I was rating it on a four-star system, I would give a solid 2.5 stars.
